Automatic cut-out



Patented Apr. 9, 1935 UNITED STATES 1,997,040 AUTOMATIC CUT-OUT Herbert L. Brump, Dayton, Ohio, assignor,- by mesne assignments, toRadio Corporation of America, New York, N. Y.,

Delaware a corporation of Application'January 27, 1932, Serial No. 589,087

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic phonograph mechanism in general, but more particularly to that class'of mechanism designed to succesively reproduce a plurality of records andin which there is a definite cycle of movements of various contributing parts of associated mechanism. In instruments of this character, means areusually provided for lifting the pickup'device and moving it from over the turn table while the latter is being charged with a new record, thence for positioning the pickup device on the face of the new record where it continues until the selection has been reproduced, whereupon a repetition of the removal of the pickup means is inaugurated which may or may not be attended with the temporary stopping of the turn table driving means. I With a device of this character it frequently happens that the attendant desires to stop the reproduction of some one particular record, or cancel it and thence continue with the next record that he has selected, or for some reason desires to stop the instrument altogether. Means are usually provided in an instrument of this character for'initiating the stop mechanism or for open circuiting the turn table driving means, but these means to be most efiicient in the light of prior art devices are usually associated in parallel to the automatic mech- .anism for stopping the turn table driving means only at the completion of a certain cycle of movement, which would not ordinarily permit the attendant'to immediately accomplish the result he desires, namely to silence the instrument simultaneously with the manipulation of'the designated control manual. I

It is therefore one of the objects of the instant invention to'provide means and mechanism for an automatic reproducing instrument whereby a composition being reproduced may be silenced simultaneously with a manipulation of the control manual. r I I A further object of the invention is to provide means for audibly indicating to the attendant whether or not he has actually producedthe result attempted when he actuates the instrument stop manual.

A further object of the invention is to silence 'an instrument of the character described simule taneously with the attendants actuation with a corresponding control manuaL' I A further object of the invention is to provide means for instantly stopping the audible output 'of an automatic record changing phonograph though the record driving mechanism may continue to complete its cycle of movement.

A further object of the invention is to provide an instantaneous responsive control for-automatic musical instruments. i

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following description, reference being had to the accom panying drawing wherein a preferred embodiment of one form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 illustrates diagrammatically the contributing elements of an automatic record changing phonograph, with the principal circuitsrelated thereto and as embracing the instant invention.

- Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing vthe relation of the switch elements when the, apparatus is to be silenced. V I I r With particular reference-to the drawing 20. indicates a turn table adapted to support and rotate one or more of a plurality of records '22, 24 and 26 and is mounted upon a shaft 28 driven by a motor or similar device 39 whose operation iswholly controlled by the automatic mechanism 32. It is preferred that the motor be an electric motor that is supplied with energy over the conductors 33 and 34 fittedflwith a de-" tachable plug 36 making removable connection with the receptacle 38 communicating by a conductor to with a power source. The automatic mechanism 32 may includefmeansfor continwing the driving of theturn table 29 throughout a definite cycle ofmovement, and embraces mechanism for causing the periodic charging of the records 22, 24 and 26 upon the turn table, as well as means for stopping the movement of the turn table 20 at a particular foreordained point 'ofthe next cycle 'of operation. The means for stopping the turn table 20 usually embrace a master switch, perhaps cam operated, whichswitch is directly or indirectlyinserted in the energizing circuit of the motor 36. It. is here indicated by dotted lines as embracing the contact members 35 and 31, shunted across the lead line 34. This mechanism 32 may be of the type shown anddescribed in the patent to Beenken Patent 1,622,756, issued March 29, 1927.

Cooperable with the turn table 20, so as to respond to the particular indicia carried byeach of the records, there is provided a pickup device 42 that also responds to the automatic mech anism 32. When the pickup reaches the inner ring of the record, or approaches the axis of the turntable, the pickup is caused to be moved to a remote position at one side of the tableduring the record changing operation and is then moved for engagement with the succeeding record. The

pickup device 42 is illustrated as the magnetic type, in which a stylus 44 is designed to follow the track of the record and has one element thereof disposed in the field of a coil 46 connected by leads 48 and 50 with a winding 52 of a transformer 54 whose'cooperable winding 56 forms the input to "a reproducing and amplifying circuit. It is the usual practice to insert in the pickup circuit a resistance 58 that cooperates with a movable contact 60 thereby constituting a volume control.

The structure thus far described constitutes prior art devices and is generally 'well known to one experienced in the art. In the'operation 01' such a device, once the motor is started into operation the turn table willbe driven to rotate the records with which it is charged, and the pickup device 42 will be moved to a position over of the record, whereupon the automatic mechanism 32 will be tripped so that the pickup device will be removed from the table and carried to one side thereof, allowing for the disposition of I another record upon the table and thence the pickup: device will again be moved to a position where it engages the succeeding record and so onuntil the entire bank of records has been reproduced.

' "Whereitbecomes desirable to stop the instrument for any reason, a manual switch inserted in the" circuit of the motor 30 is actuated to open that circuit, but due to the automatic mechanism'3ZQthe driving of the turn table 20 will not 'b'eac'tually stopped until the table has been driven 'throug'h' its"predetermined cycle of movement, which is accomplished only at the time when the pickupdev'icefl has traversed the full length of theie'coifd grooveand arrived at or near a point at thea'xis bf the 'turn table where it trips the 'r'ii'ech'a'hisin to inaugurate the full stop of the turn-table and 'isthe'nce moved'to' one side of the tiifh tab l e. It is thus "seen that though the atteiid'aiit may 'op'n'th'e manual motor switch at -soifrie point intermediate the beginning and end of the program'indi'cia carriedby the record, the atual a ec omplishinnt of his act is delayed until the record has been'ru'ny reproduced, and thus 'tlie'attendan't is permitted to stop the instrument bhly at theconclu'sion or a selection'that has been started. 7

The instant invention overcomes these objectionsbyproviding means for short circuiting the pi'ek-updevice or circuit, and that are coincideritally operable "with the manually controlled switchthat is inserted in the supply lead 34 to thedriving motor. Diverse and several means andiriech'a'nism maybe adapted to accomplishthis resultbut'for the'p'urpose of illustration the improvement has been illustrated in the drawing as in parallel with the usual contacts to be actuated by the automatic mechanism 32, it necessitates that the motor circuit be opened at both points in order to stop operation of the driving motor.

A shunt is provided in the pickup circuit so as to by-pass the volume controLor in other words to shortcircuit the pickup device simultaneously with the opening of the motor circuit by the manual means. I I a I i In the illustrated embodiment, a lead 68 is joined to the conductor 48 in the pickup circuit and makes communication to a leaf spring conductor T0 that is normally under spring tension and adapted to engage a co-operating leaf spring conductor 12 in electrical communication with the conductor '50 by means of a lead 14. A controller I6 is provided for actuating the spring leaf conductors inserted in both the motor circuit and the shunt to the pickup circuit, and embraces an insulating member 18 pivoted at having a manual 82 for controlling the same. Upon a-ppnopriate portions of the nonconduetor 18 there are provided cam rollers or similar devices Mandi which when the controller is. actuated willalternately engage one' or the other of the spring leaf conductors 64 and 'Hljrespectively. All of the spring leaf conductors are so-associatedwith the controller, and so responsive tothat movement, that upon actuation of the manual 82 for disengaging one pair -of the conductors, theaother pair of conductors will be engaged so thatma- I nism. In the actual physical embodiment of the invention thecontroller I6 is provided with means for maintaining it in either of the positions to which it is movable, and since the illustration :is

wholly diagrammatic or at least'so far as it is practical it is not-deemed necessary to show the particular means necessary to hold the controller in one position or the-other. It is deemed-qsufliciently illustrated, and is thought to;be obvious that the controller '16 may be maintained =in .the

position illustrated in Fig. 1, or if muved tolthe reverse position in which thecontact-members 62 and 64 are separatedand-the contacts intend-J2 are; closed as in Fig. -2, thatthe controllerimay-be retained in that position.

By the structure thus provided the attendant 50 may instantaneously silence the instrument-Many point in the rendition'of -a particular record that he desires. To accomplish this he has naught to do but to-move-the-controllerittoward themight hand side of the drawing: which movement will pivot the member about the point 80 flexingtthe conductor-64 so'as to disengagexitrfrom' the eonductor 62 therebyopening.the motoncircult. PCO- incident with this the-spring leaf conductors J0 and 12 will be engaged'which will lcause-ithetcircuit pulsation from the -p lckupidevice toztraverse the shunt circuit rather-thanthehighnresistance path throughthe volume controlandithe transformer winding. Presupposing that the mechanism is ashas been describedftheturnetablelll and consequently the record with which it is charged will be driven throughout the predetermined cycle of movement, or until the automatic mechanism 32 operates through its cam or other means to actuate the master switch. However, directly that the controller 16 is so moved to inaugurate stopping of the device, the instrument will be silenced through the attendants short circuiting of the pickup device. Applicant therefore accomplishes the immediate silencing of the instrument directly upon manipulation of a particular control which may be at any point in the reproduction of the particular record, and is'not forced to wait until a definite cycle of the automatic mechanism has been performed, or until the particular record has been entirely reproduced. This becomes very desirable when the particular record is one which the attendant does not particularly care for, or in any instance where it is the attendants desire that'the instrument be immediately silenced. A particular application of the latter instance is found where a telephone call is received during the performance of the instrument and it is desired that all confusion be eliminated while the telephone message is being taken. Obviously, it would be inconvenient, or undesirable to say the least, if one had to put up with the complete rendition of the record before the telephone could be answered or the message taken.

While the form of embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In an automatic phonograph having means for reproducing a plurality of records in succession, and having an electrically driven turn table, an electric pick-up device for translating the indicia of records carried by the table, automatic means for moving the pick-up device from the record at the conclusion of each rendition, means to charge the turn table with another record, and means to stop the driving of the turn table at a predetermined point in its operation, the combination comprising, a switch in the circuit of the said electrically driven turn table, for initially open circuiting the same, a pair of contacts in parallel with the pick-up device, and means for closing the contacts in the pick-up circuit upon the initial opening of said turn table driving circuit, whereby said pick-up device becomes nonoperative upon the manipulation of said closing means though the. automatic means for driving the turn table may operate throughout its predetermined cycle.

2. In an automatic phonograph having means for driving a turn table and playing a plurality of records in succession, including means for stopping the turn table at a predetermined point and only at the end of a record being'reproduced, and an electric pick-up device operable to engage and translate the indicia of each succeeding record, the combination comprising a manually controlled switch in the circuit of said turn table driving means, and means for short circuiting said electric pick-up device upon the manipulation of said manually controlled switch, whereby said phonograph Will be silenced coincident with said manipulation yet the turn table driving means will be permitted to complete. its cycle of movement.

3. In an automatic phonograph having means for driving a turn table andplaying a plurality of records in succession, including means for stopping the turn table at a predetermined point and only at the end of a record being reproduced,

and an electric pick-up device operable to en-' gage and translate the indicia of each succeeding record, the combination comprising, manually operable stopping means in the circuit of said turn table driving means and in parallel with the turn table stopping means, a shunt across the pick-up circuit providing a pair of contacts, and means responsive to the actuation of said manually operable stopping means for closing the contacts in said shunt whereby the pick-up device will be rendered nonoperative upon the initial opening of said turn table driving means.

4. In an automatic phonograph, the combination of a turn-table adapted to hold the record to be played, an electric motor for driving said turn-table, leads to said electric motor, a switch in one of said leads, means for opening said switch at a predetermined point in the cycle of operation of said automatic phonograph, a second switch 

